English Language Arts
Grade 7
15 min
Suggest appropriate revisions
Suggest appropriate revisions
What you'll learn
- Identify at least three vague or unclear sentences in a given paragraph and explain why they need revision.
- Apply revision techniques, such as adding details or rephrasing, to improve two out of three sentences in a paragraph that lack clarity or detail.
- Explain how using stronger verbs and more specific nouns can make a sentence more impactful, providing at least two examples.
- Revise a paragraph of their own writing, incorporating at least three specific revisions based on peer feedback to improve its overall quality and clarity.
Tutorial Preview
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify areas in a peer's writing that require revision.
Formulate constructive and specific suggestions for improvement.
Distinguish between surface-level edits and substantive revisions.
Apply knowledge of literary analysis, research, or narrative techniques to provide targeted feedback.
Communicate revision suggestions clearly and respectfully.
Categorize revision suggestions by type (e.g., clarity, evidence, organization).
Ever read something and thought, 'This could be better!' 🤔 But how do you tell someone *how* to make it better without hurting their feelings?
In this lesson, you'll learn the art of suggesting appropriate revisions during peer review. This skill helps you not only improve others' writing but also sharpen...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
RevisionMaking significant changes to the content, organization, argument, or overall message of a piece of writing to improve its effectiveness.Rewriting an entire paragraph to add more detailed evidence for a literary analysis.
EditingCorrecting surface-level errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization to ensure clarity and correctness.Fixing a misspelled word like 'recieve' to 'receive' or adding a missing comma.
Constructive FeedbackSpecific, helpful, and respectful suggestions aimed at improving a piece of writing, focusing on what can be changed and why.Instead of 'This is confusing,' say 'Consider adding a topic sentence to clarify the main idea of this paragraph.'
SpecificityProviding detailed and clear...
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Key Rules & Conventions
The 'Praise, Question, Suggest' Rule
Start your feedback with something positive, ask a clarifying question, then offer a specific suggestion for improvement.
This structure ensures your feedback is balanced, helps the writer understand your perspective, and provides actionable advice in a supportive way. It makes the writer more open to your suggestions.
Focus on 'What' and 'Why,' Not 'You'
Frame your suggestions around the text itself ('The evidence could be stronger') rather than making it about the writer ('You didn't use enough evidence').
This rule keeps feedback objective and less personal, making it easier for the writer to receive and act upon without feeling criticized. It focuses on the writing, not...
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Challenging
A peer reviewer gives feedback that is very specific, pointing out every single spelling error. However, they say nothing about the essay's confusing organization or weak thesis statement. According to the tutorial, why is this feedback not as helpful as it could be?
A.Because spelling is not important in a final draft.
B.Because the reviewer is being too harsh by pointing out so many mistakes.
C.Because the writer might get a bad grade if they only fix the spelling.
D.Because it fails to prioritize global revisions (organization, thesis) over local revisions (spelling), which is a less efficient and effective way to improve the draft.
Challenging
An essay paragraph has a weak topic sentence, uses an irrelevant quote as evidence, and contains two spelling errors. To provide the most effective feedback, which issue should a peer reviewer suggest revising first and why?
A.The weak topic sentence, because it is the global issue that controls the entire paragraph's focus and direction.
B.The spelling errors, because they are the easiest and quickest things to fix.
C.The irrelevant quote, because finding new evidence is the most time-consuming part of revision.
D.All issues should be addressed at once to save time.
Challenging
A student's purpose is to write a narrative that creates a feeling of suspense. They write: 'He walked into the old house. It was dark inside. He heard a noise upstairs and decided to go see what it was.' Which revision suggestion BEST helps the author achieve their purpose?
A.Your sentence structure is a bit simple. Try combining some sentences.
B.This is a good start! To build more suspense, could you slow down the moment? Maybe describe the creak of the door, the smell of dust, or the character's hesitant thoughts before he decides to go upstairs.
C.You should add a character description so we know what he looks like.
D.I like the idea. Have you thought about making the noise a friendly animal to surprise the reader?
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Frequently asked questions
What grade level is "Suggest appropriate revisions"?
Suggest appropriate revisions is a Grade 7 English Language Arts lesson on ExcelOS.
What will I learn in Suggest appropriate revisions?
You'll be able to: Identify at least three vague or unclear sentences in a given paragraph and explain why they need revision; Apply revision techniques, such as adding details or rephrasing, to improve two out of three sentences in a paragraph….
Is "Suggest appropriate revisions" free to practice?
Yes. You can read the tutorial preview for free, and signing up for a free ExcelOS account unlocks the full tutorial and all practice questions with instant feedback.
How many practice questions are included with Suggest appropriate revisions?
This lesson includes 25 practice questions across multiple difficulty levels, each with instant feedback and explanations.